Lesser Garth Cave Trip 24/03/2004

Lesser Garth Cave to Ogof Ffynnon Taf

Pictures by Tarquin Wilton-Jones and Chris Poole. Click the thumbnails for the full sized pictures.

1. The entrance is hidden at the top of a very steep forested hillside
2. The cave is inhabited by bats, and evidence of fresh bat roosts extends throughout the cave
3. We actually saw a bat at the far end of the side passage where the quarry has broken into the cave - I thought bats were a protected species ...
4. The early part of the cave is low (filled with evidence of drug use - guess they mistook the bats for dragons...)
5. The low passage stops suddenly at a steep climb down
6. From this point onwards, the main passage continues much larger with stal flow down the walls
7. An alcove at the top of the climb contains two pitches, one into a short decorated rift, and this one into the main side passage
8. The pitch is 9 metres, just right for our 12 metre rope, and it lands in a tall rift passage
9. The rift ends abruptly at a squeeze
10. This is the tightest squeeze either of us has done (ouch, my ribs!), and is not passable by drug users or cavers larger than us
11. The passage continually appears to be getting bigger, but in fact closes down with the way on being overhead
12. The way into the overhead passages is not always obvious, and sometimes involves awkward climbs
13. Pretty soon is a slot down to a squeeze, which is easier than it looks
14. This is followed by another squeeze into the top of a narrow rift - very difficult on the return
15. A final climb up and the cave suddenly changes character completely. It enters a larger passage (Ogof Ffynnon Taf), where to the right has been intersected by the quarry and collapsed, and to the left continues as a very well decorated passage.
16. The passage is formed on two levels, one over, and one under the boulders - we take the upper passage first
17. Some of the stal flows are covered with extensive tree-root or dry-rot networks
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19. Tucked in a bedding to the left is a pretty stal flow
20. Followed immediately by a 1 metre high curtain
21. And a 1.5 metre high column tucked up in an alcove on the wall
22. The passage ends at a crotto with several small, white curtains
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24. We head back into the lower passage, which again has some small curtains on the wall
25. And several curtains on the roof
26. And then a set of large and very impressive curtains
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29. Time for a drink (you will need a drink!) then back out.